Kansas
Kansas traffic fatalities trend downward after seven years averaging more than 420 deaths • Kansas Reflector
TOPEKA — The number of traffic deaths on Kansas backroads, streets and highways increased in the decade from 2013 to 2023 despite three consecutive annual reductions that cut fatalities below 400 for the first time since 2015.
State and federal transportation reports and an assessment by TRIP, a nonprofit organization researching and distributing data on transportation issues, said traffic fatalities in Kansas expanded 11% during the 10-year period. The peak in Kansas fatalities during the decade was 461 deaths in 2017, which fell within boundaries of a seven-year stretch in which the state averaged 423 traffic deaths per year.
Reports showed roadway deaths in Kansas diminished 8% from 2021 to 2023, culminating with 388 fatalities in 2023. That figure more closely resembled a three-year period marked by 350 fatalities in 2013, 385 in 2014 and 355 in 2015.
Gov. Laura Kelly celebrated the decline and argued public investment in transportation safety projects had delivered dividends. The Kansas Department of Transportation said wearing a seatbelt — a primary driving offense since 2010 — improved crash survivability by more than 45%.
“Safe roads save lives,” Kelly said in a statement. “We must all do our part to reduce traffic fatalities. I encourage all Kansans to buckle up, follow posted speed limits, avoid distractions and drive sober.”
TRIP, the transportation policy organization in Washington, D.C., said U.S. traffic fatalities declined in 2022 and 2023, but remained 25% higher than a decade ago. In 2020 and 2021, traffic deaths across the country escalated during height of the COVID-19 pandemic. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found drivers engaged in riskier behavior, including speeding, failure to wear seat belts and driving under the influence after the declaration of the public health emergency.
Bicyclist and pedestrian fatalities accounted for 21% of all U.S. traffic fatalities in 2023. From 2018 to 2023, the number of pedestrians killed increased 16% to 7,522 and the number of cyclists who died expanded 29% to 1,105. Motorcycle fatalities grew by 16% of the national total to 6,364 in 2023.
“Ensuring safety on our nation’s roadways is a collective effort involving everyone from drivers to government entities that finance road improvements, as well as manufacturers, contractors and innovators,” said Mike Hare, board chairman of the American Traffic Safety Services Association.
TRIP said crashes in U.S. highway work zones resulted in 4,316 fatalities from 2018 to 2022, which reflected an increase of 18% from 756 in 2018 to 891 in 2022.
In Kansas, highway work zone accidents resulted in 32 fatalities from 2018 to 2022. In the same five-year period, Missouri recorded 99 such deaths, Oklahoma reported 93 and Nebraska had 35.
“Distracted driving is an increasing factor in work zone crashes,” said Michael White, executive director of the Kansas Contractors Association. “That’s why 38 other states have taken action to make their roadways safer with hands-free legislation.”
The Kansas House approved a bill during the 2024 session that would have prohibited drivers under age 18 from using a mobile telephone while behind the wheel and would have banned anyone operating a vehicle to use a cellphone in a school or construction zone. The Kansas Senate didn’t act on the bill.
“We applaud the Kansas House for taking the first step this year,” White said. “We’re looking forward to working with the Kansas Senate to move this issue forward next year so that Kansans aren’t left behind on this important safety front.”
KSHB 41 reporter Olivia Acree covers portions of Johnson County, Kansas, including Olathe and Lenexa. Share your story idea with Olivia.
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If the motto to live by is to get 1 hour of movement a day, the Parkinson’s community in Kansas City is exceeding it.
Bob Zipse has been fighting Parkinson’s for 10 years. He said the diagnosis hit him hard.
Leawood’s Parkinson’s Exercise and Wellness Center expands services as diagnoses climb
“I was super depressed. I mean, I was in a chair. Did you want to move? Look around, just horrible. Because there’s no resources. Where do I go with the time?”
Zipse said the disease can be an isolating experience.
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“Parkinson’s, I say, is a very lonely, lonely disease. Either people don’t want to deal with you, or you’re embarrassing.”
He found the Parkinson’s Exercise and Wellness Center at his lowest point. Now, he sees people around him pushing past their limits.
“You see people out here, they’re in the mid-70s, they’re doing push-ups, sit-ups, lifting weights. I mean, it’s amazing, really,” Zipse said. “In here, we’re all the same.”
Sarissa Curry founded the center after seeing the power of healing through exercise and recognizing that diagnosis rates were increasing. An aging population and younger diagnoses are among the biggest factors driving that trend.
Kansas consistently ranks as having one of the highest Parkinson’s disease diagnoses and mortality rates in the United States, second only to Nebraska. According to the Parkinson’s Foundation, an estimated 20,000 people in the Kansas City metro alone are living with the disease.
“You see your neurologist once every six months to a year, and you see a physical therapist maybe a couple of months out of the year. Community-based programs are here every day to support this community,” Curry said.
Curry said the warning signs of rising Parkinson’s rates have been visible for years.
“They have been predicting this increase in Parkinson’s for many years. They were able to see the writing on the wall, they were able to see how the population was aging, and they knew that this was coming. We paid attention.”
She expanded the center to serve as an all-encompassing resource for people like Zipse.
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“I’d hate to wager what I would have been like. Life would have stopped for me, I think. This at least gives me hope, gives me some work towards and see some benefit of it,” Zipse said.
The PEWC will host a ribbon cutting on Wednesday, June 3, at 3:30 p.m. The community is invited to attend to learn more about the center’s services and the disease as incidence rates continue to rise each year.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Two men were arrested following a lengthy Reno County Sheriff’s Office investigation into several burglaries and thefts in the area.
Garson Stanley Boyles was arrested May 21, and Jimmy Ray Miller was arrested May 27. Both were arrested on suspicion of 11 counts of burglary, five counts of criminal damage to property and four counts of theft.
The sheriff’s office said numerous stolen items have been recovered, including a vehicle. Investigators said several items remain missing.
Anyone with information about the location of stolen property is asked to contact the Reno County Sheriff’s Office at 620-694-2735. Those wishing to remain anonymous may call Reno County Crime Stoppers at 620-694-2666 or 800-222-TIPS.
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